The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-10-06
LAND FOR THE lANDlES,'
How the Public Lands were Squand-
cred under Republican Rule.
And How a Democratic Admini
stration Restores the Public
Domain to the People.
EE9
Over Twenty-Five Millions Acres taken
back from Robber Corporations
IN O Single Month.

I'm a Single Month.
The Republican party, almost from
the day that it came into power, began
the work of giving away the public land
to railroad and land sharks of every de-
scription. The rights, interests, and
welfare of the people were totally disre-
garded by the Republican party. Said
the Hon. S. NJ. Stockslsger, member Of
the Forty eighth Congress from Indiana
"The American people we're amazed
when they learned that on the 1st day of
July, 1862, just forty-one days after the
homestead law was approved, the same
Congress, with a reckless disregard of
their own action never before witnessed,
granted to the Union and Pacific Rail-
roads q magnificent belt of land forty
miles wide, extending from the Missouri
River to near the Bay of San Francisco,
and containing to the Union Pacific 16,-
ll5,OOO acres and to the Central Pacific
15,o6lOO0 acres. Thus the homestead
law, by which the millions of acres of
unsettled land were pledged to the
people as a heritage to the actual settlers
to the men of toll who would cultivate
them and make them blossom and bloom
and bear fruit-was violated, disregard
ed and set aside, and most gigantic
system of reckless squandering OF the
lands inaugurated. This was an entire
change in our land system, 10th ip the
manner OF disposing of the public lands
and OF the amounts to be given. Before
that date not a single acre OF the public
other corporation. Donations of the pub
lie lands had been made from time to
time to the States, aggregating in all
81 600 S46 acres, for the purpose Of b ing
disposed of by the States in aid al educa-
ton, for military roads, for internal i'm
provements, and for railroads. But the
grants were all to the States"
The Republican party has been from.
the first the monopolist party. 1t has
sought in every possible way to create
an aristacrstic class, based upon wealth.
It has NOT only robbed the people OF their
lands to create landed aristocracy as
crushing ss that of England, Scotland,
and Ireland, but it has sought by tariff
| protection to enrich the few by burden
| ing the poor with enormous taxation
upon the prime necessities Of life. There
| is no more vital question than that which
! relates to the public lands, the public
| domain-the broad acres designed by
benefcent Providence for the homes Of
the people, The Republican party has
from the first tgnored the people; it has
| iegislated for the iand-gfabber, the land
thief, the land monopolist, the landed
| aristocrat and this policy of the Re-
| publican party was kept up until 200,-
OOO,O 600 acres of land was granted TO rail-
road corporations Says Mr.. Stockslager,
now acting Land Commissioner, in his
speech in the Fortyeighth Congress:
1.-THE sgjpd is staggered in an effort to
contemplate this imperial estate granted
to great corporations. Il can only be
grasped by comparison. You can carve
ont OF it l,250,0OO homesteads of one
hunsirsd and sixty acres each. 1t is
equal to two hundred and forty States
the size OF Rhode Island, It is equal in
area to seven States like Pennsylvania,
With her 45,215 square miles; four and
one half times as large as all the New
England States; equal to the thirteen
original States, which have a0f OBJ ,2S0
acres The total area OF Great Britain
and Ireland is 74,l37 800 acres, or but
little more than one-third these grants.
There is not among all the enlightened
natioHs of modern Europe one that has
an area which equals that OF our railroad
kings. The empire OF Austria Hungary
and the kingdom of Italy, yith Switzer-
land and the Netherlands added have
an area of only 2500l2,620 acres. The
creation by law of this most gigantic land
monopoly the world has ever seen must
in the very nature of things be felt upon
our institutions and upon our people.
The example of the Federal Government
has been followed by some of our
States, which have granted millions of
acres of theiF public lands to railroad
corporations, OF sold them in large bodies
to i,aiyidqals. All the barriers have
been thrown down, and foreign and
domestic capitalists have been reaping a
rich harvest ioF themselves jim the
purchase of vast areas of land. But so
far as the people are concerned, they,
through their unworthy representatives,
have sown the wind, and they are desti-
ned to reap the whirlwind."
Tbs Democratic party is now engaged,
and has been engaged at all times when
an opportunity offered, to put stop to
the squandering of the public lands by
the Republican party, and poy that it
has the power to stop the stnRendous
wrong it is regaining some OF the land
the Republican party bestowed upon
railroad corporations, and which has
been forfeited. A Washington dispatch
of regent date says the Assistant Land
| Commissioner has issued orders relative
10 the land OF the Atlantic and Pacific
Railroad, and also in reference to the
Gulf and ship Island Railway Com
panies, whose land grants all lie fp Flori-
da, and also to the Missouri, Kansas and
Texas. According to the estimates made
officially, the Atlantic and Pacific order
throws open to settlement 25,000,O00
acres, and the orders to the Florida Rail
way end Navigation Company and the
Gulf and Ship Island Railway Companies
will largely increase the amount OF Ian
restored TO the people, and the policy
now being pursued by tile Democratic
administration will result ip the restitu-
ton of f1liy 100000 acres Of the public
lands to the people, and opep them to
homestead settlement, enough Ter BIZ
500 farms of l6O acres each, hundred
Thousand more farms than there are in
Indiana OF all sizes.
These are subjects which the people
can afford 70 fake into consideration.
They will discover, on the one hand, the
Republican party throwing away the
peoples land, bestowing it on railroad
corporations, seeking to build up land
ed aristocraey, while the Democratic
party is resolved by every lawful means
to give as much as possible OF the pub
lie land BACK to the people, the rightful
owners of the acres.
The following is statement, prepared
by Acting Land Commissioner Stocks
lager, showing the estimated number of
acres restored to the public domain under
the order OF tae Secretary of the Int erior,
dated August IL, Il, and IL, 1897, re-
voking the indemnity with iray Ms for
the benefit of certain railroads and wagon
roads:
| Names Location Number OF
| CT of Blank. acres
Road. Lands. registered.
A. 9 c.. Alabama.. .......... E,6O0
A. & P..... Arkansas. 10000 ,.......
...... n Mexico r65O,OO0 ......
| -. -. Arizona. 1,630,000 2,y0,OOU